It’s in the Hair
Angus Mitchell is a hair legacy. His father Paul Mitchell was one of the 20th century’s most famous hairdressers. In 1980, when Angus was 10 years old, his father partnered with businessman John Paul DeJoria to form John Paul Mitchell Systems, a company that produces innovative styling products, and operates salons as well as beauty schools worldwide. Fast forward 21 years and DeJoria (who also co-founded the Patrón Spirits Co.) and Angus now run the billion-dollar company, which prides itself on not only nurturing future professionals but also turning out some of the industry’s highest quality tools. Vegas Seven talks with Angus of Beverly Hills’ Angus M Salon about planting Awapuhi as a young boy, his favorite cuts and his insane car collection.
The Wild Ginger Awapuhi hair-care line was released last year to rave reviews. How is it best used?
If you can believe it, I was actually the young man who planted all that Awapuhi on my father’s farm in Hawaii. He paid me $1.23 an hour to do it.
What’s amazing about the Wild Ginger Awapuhi is that I can take someone like Pamela Anderson, who has fragile bleached hair, and within 15 minutes I can have her hair feeling like virgin hair again. It contains an exclusive blend of an isolated keratin protein especially designed to repair and seal damaged hair. John Paul was investing in a keratin company, and the main ingredient actually comes from a sheep ranch in New Zealand. It’s really the most effective keratin protein available and it belongs only to us.
What are some of your favorite cuts right now?
There’s a lot of the haircut my father brought back from London in the 1970s that we called the shag in America. The proper name for it is the shake. It is really, really long heavy fringes and very round instead of a very square, hard line.
One look that’s really happening right now and that a lot of people are requesting is the Peggy Moffitt style. It has the geometry of a graduated bob with long fringe swept over to one side.
As far as men’s styles, what look do you love?
Old Hollywood. These days for the guys it is cropped and slicked back or cool and textured. The Justin Bieber thing is also very popular—long heavy fringe.
What thing do you find most beautiful?
I have a bad addiction to cars. In fact my wife always jokes with me, “Angus, what are you doing?” It’s 1 a.m., and I’m on the computer. She says “Is that car porn?” I am a car collector. I call myself a frustrated mechanic. Frustrated solely for the fact I can’t wrench but I really have a really good eye and I have an appreciation for it. Two of my favorite toys are a 1966 21-window VW bus and a 1964 Cadillac convertible. To me, when I look at that, I’m looking at sculpture. How the wheel welding is shaped, whether it’s rounded, symmetrical or straight, and just the curves and the lines and textures, which relate to hair, too.